


Dog, Fox, Weasel

by ohnocantthink, ZulaPopcorn



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Developing Friendships, Friendship, M/M, Pre-Series, Romance, romance kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-10 06:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11685771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnocantthink/pseuds/ohnocantthink, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZulaPopcorn/pseuds/ZulaPopcorn
Summary: A few generations ago, Clan Lavellan became too large to keep safe, so it split. Both Lavellan Clans stay in touch by regularly sending messengers back and forth.A pair of twins from one clan and a young hunter from the other keep the bonds strong and help each other grow.Work is a collaboration. Kitai and Terren Lavellan belong to ZulaPopcorn, Danevhen Lavellan belongs to Ohnocantthink.





	1. Arlathvhen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terren learns things.

**Arlathvhen - 9:33 Dragon**

Terren wandered aimlessly amidst the sea of campfires. He had never seen so many people together in one place and felt a bit overwhelmed. Even his family’s aravel felt crowded, though it was empty at the moment; Mother had left early in the evening to mingle with members other Clans and Kitai had snuck out somewhere to steal a moment of privacy with Daranil. She probably wouldn’t return for hours yet.

Terren hadn’t expected the atmosphere of Arlathvhen to be quite so festive. He had pictured the gathering of clans like a meeting of too serious Keepers and boring adults, but he had not taken young people into account, and they were not ones to sit around in silence, quietly trading stories or sharing advice on how to best avoid shemlen and track deer. No, music rivaled with laughter on which would be louder while they boasted about their hunts, illustrating their words with big gestures as drunk people tend to do, and traded advice on how to best court girls or boys.

Girls from various Clans had been smiling at him and trying to secure his company all day, and while Terren loved the attention, he was not used to it and it was becoming tiring. He needed a moment of tranquility away from their unrelenting pursuits, and so he decided to find the one thing that he knew would bring him peace: the halla.

The halla of Clan Lavellan were penned a little ways away from the main camp and the path leading to it followed the edge of the woods. While there were no lanterns illuminating the path, the full moon made up for it and Terren could see quite a ways through the trees, which was good. The forest at night tended to make him nervous since… Since. But the night was calm, and Terren walked slowly, enjoying the distant sounds of the camps and the relative silence around him. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, taking in the nocturnal scents of sleeping trees and blooming night flowers.

 

That was when he heard it: a soft moan and a sigh, somewhere behind the line of trees to his right. He froze, heart racing, and snapped his eyes open, trying to pierce the darkness. He knew there were sentries around and he would have heard a warning, had something happened, but his rising terror did not care about that. After a short while, another moan broke the relative quiet, but no other noise could be heard. Not an attack then…? He was about to make his way back to camp, but paused. Maybe someone still needed help. He couldn’t just go like that, he had to at least check… Mustering all of his courage, he silently made his way towards the sound and carefully peeked between the branches of a bush when he thought he was close enough to the source of the noise.

The people he saw in front of him most definitely did not need help. A reddish-haired boy a few years older than Terren was pinning a slightly older, dark-skinned man against the trunk of a tree, one hand on his neck, the other around his waist. The man pressed against the tree grabbed the other by the hair and pulled him even closer, sighing again as their mouths locked together.

Terren was no stranger to sex, but he had never seen two men kiss. Somehow, even only seeing it felt more right to him than when he had been fooling around with girls. He knew boys made him feel strange things that girls never had, but he had never imagined there were others like him. He’d always assumed he was an anomaly.

The sight of them made his pulse quicken and his breath grow shallower. Fascinated and almost painfully aroused, he just couldn’t stop looking.

When the dark skinned young man slid his hand inside the other one’s breeches, Terren involuntarily let out a soft gasp and the two lovers, startled, jumped away from each other. Cursing, the red-haired one reached for the knife at his belt.

“Fenedhis! Who’s there?” he called in Terren’s direction.

Uh-oh. Unsure what to do –run away? Show himself? Stay where he was and hope they’d forget him? – Terren froze in place like a startled halla.

“Show yourself. Now.” The other one called, as he picked up his bow and aimed an arrow roughly towards where Terren stood. Taking off at a run would prove more dangerous than revealing himself at that point. Though anxious at having been discovered, Terren swallowed hard and called back as he made his way to them.

“Ir abelas, lethallin. I… Don’t shoot me please! I didn’t mean to… Uh… Stare.”

As he came out of the bushes, a look of surprise crossed the red-haired boy's face.

“You’re just a kid. What are you doing away from the camp?” he asked not unkindly as he let his hand drop away from his knife. The other one continued to scowl, but he did lower his bow.

“Enjoying the show, no doubt.” he interjected. “Now he’s going to blabber about us to everybody in camp. Great. I’m done here.”

With that he left, leaving a stunned Terren and the other young man alone. Terren shuffled his feet, looking down.

“I’m not a child. I’m fourteen; I’ll earn my vallaslin soon.” he mumbled sullenly. “And uh… Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” he added after a pause, looking up again.

The young man studied him, head cocked to the side, eyes lingering on his scars. Terren was sure he would soon avert his gaze awkwardly, as everyone he met usually did, but he surprised him by chuckling instead. His laugh was a deep, warm sound that made Terren feel a little weak inside.

“I bet you didn’t. But don’t worry. He was kind of an ass anyway.”

Terren grinned, relaxing slightly, and finally took a good look at his companion. His heart skipped a beat and… Elgar’nan, but he couldn’t help but stare again. The older boy's smile – full lips reddened by the kiss he had just interrupted – triggered all kinds of interesting images in Terren’s mind and he blushed furiously when he noticed the amused look in his bright, honest eyes.

“I’m Danevhen, by the way. Of Clan Lavellan.”

Terren blinked in surprise, then smiled brightly.

“So am I!” he chirped enthusiastically, then blushed harder and mentally kicked himself. “Lavellan, I mean. I’m not Danevhen. Uh… Oh, Mythal have mercy…” he stammered, covering his eyes with his hand.

_Smooth, Terren. Surely he’s impressed now._

Danevhen chuckled heartily but otherwise did not comment, for which Terren was grateful. When he felt confident enough to speak coherently, he lowered his hand and met his eyes again.

“Terren. I’m Terren. Aneth ara, Danevhen.” He said a little stiffly, heart still racing. The older boy’s eyes danced.

“Aneth ara, Terren. It’s nice to meet a member of our sister Clan, but I still don’t know what you were doing here. Aside from watching.” His smile just about melted Terren’s heart.

“I was… The truth?” he asked with a sheepish grin.

Danevhen nodded and crossed his arms, a look of amused anticipation in his eyes. “This should be good.”

“I was running away from girls.”

“Girl _s_? Plural?” Danevhen asked, eyebrows raised. Terren shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

“Hey I can be charming when I want to!” That drew another chuckle, and Terren wasn’t certain how long he would be able to take it.

“I don’t doubt it.” Finally came the playful reply. Terren inhaled sharply.

 _Mythal help me_ , he thought, desperately trying to find a way to respond to that. He failed lamentably and silence stretched between them; growing more awkward by the second.  
He looked around, unsure if he should linger or just go back, and suddenly remembered he was in the middle of the forest at night, far from the safety of the camp, unarmed. Anything could be lurking in the shadows, waiting a moment of distraction to jump on his back and… As the premises of panic rose again in his chest, he felt Danevhen’s firm, warm grip on his shoulder, gently steering him back toward the path with a slightly concerned but encouraging smile curving his oh so lovely lips. Terren followed in a daze.

“You said you’d obtain your vallaslin soon. Do you already know what you’ll go for?” Danevhen asked casually, and Terren was grateful once again; he had been struggling to find something to say, to think about anything but the darkness around them and what lurked, unseen, behind the trees. He focused on the voice, on the sight of Danevhen and the pleasant vertigo his smile awoke inside his stomach.

“I’ll honor Ghilan’nain.” He replied without a hint of hesitation. There had never been any doubt in his mind. “I am apprenticed to the Halla Keeper, you know.” He added with no small amount of pride as his panic slowly faded. From the corner of his eye, he could see Danevhen observing him with an air of slight amusement.

 

There was another pause, and unable to contain himself any longer, Terren blurted out.

“How do you do it?”

“How do I do what?”

“How do you meet with other boys? How do you know if they are… Interested? Are there many of them?”

“Ah.” Danevhen thought for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly and ruffled Terren’s hair. Terren cringed a little, but he allowed it. He had a feeling he’d let Danevhen get away with much more than that, should the young man wish so. “You just be your charming self, like you obviously are with girls. If a boy is interested, he’ll pick up on it, trust me.”

“You make it sound easy.” he mumbled.

“It works for me.” That smile again. Relaxed and kind and playful; so enticing that Terren had trouble containing the overwhelming _want_ it elicited in him. He had never really felt that way about anyone except Mihren. “It’s not easy. But it’s not really complicated either. Your best chance is outside of your Clan though.”

They were almost back to camp now, and Terren, fearing Danevhen would leave as soon as they reached the first ring of lights, asked:  
“Are you bonded? Was the other boy your secret mate?” he almost gave Danevhen time to answer, but a new question came to mind. “Have you ever had sex with a shemlen?”

Danevhen chuckled again.

“So many questions. No. No. And don’t you think we should get to know each other better before I answer that kind of question?”

Before he could stop himself, Terren raised his eyebrows at him and grinned. “And how well do you think we’re going to get to know each other?”

Danevhen burst out laughing.

“Not _that_ well. Sorry, you’re a bit young for me.”

Ow. That stung.

“Well I won’t always be.” Terren shot back defiantly.

And with that, he left Danevhen right where he stood and quickly made his way to his aravel, where he hoped Kitai had not yet returned. He needed some time alone to order his thoughts and feelings and knew that if she saw him before he had calmed down, she would pick right up on his discomfort and ask questions he might not want to answer yet. Thankfully, the aravel was still deserted when he arrived. Kicking his clothes on the floor, Terren crashed on his bed and brought the covers over his head.

 _There are others like me._ That simple fact changed everything. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with him after all.


	2. The Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A halla snorts.

**_Dalish camp near Ostwick - 9:37 Dragon_ **

Kitai sat on the fence with her back to the pen and watched as Terren gently scratched the nose of the sick halla standing beside him, caring for her while Enavuna was out looking for a remedy. As always, she felt a pang of envy at how easy and natural it was for him to befriend the delicate creatures. She could never fulfill his duty as assistant to the Halla Keeper, nor would she wish to, but she would have loved being able to go closer and touch them. They didn’t like her much though.

“Have you spoken to him?” Terren asked, a note of intense curiosity in his voice.

“No, he was still with the Keeper when I came here. He’s charming though. I’m fairly confident you’d like him. _I_ certainly do.” There was something about their visitor that simply drew people in. It would have even if the man had just been standing there, looking pretty. Which he didn’t. He was being actively charming on top of that.

“What is that I’m sensing? Lust? Should I inform Daranil?” Terren asked, shooting her a sly glance over his shoulder.

Kitai snorted and lightly poked her twin in the back with the tip of her toes. She wasn’t worried about her mate learning of a fleeting attraction to someone else. Everyone knew –and Daranil above all– that she belonged to him without reserve, forever.

“I’m reasonably certain he already knows. Besides, I swear I saw him drool a bit too.”

“ _Now_ I’m curious.”

“You’ll see him soon enough. But you know what it means, right?  The other Lavellans are probably not too far away. Perhaps we’ll cross paths and you’ll get to meet that man you liked again! Maybe it’s him right now with us! With luck you can make even more of a fool of yourself.” She teased, sticking her tongue out when he looked up. She half expected a scowl, but he grinned instead.

“I’d like that. If nothing else, he was nice. Nicer than you, at any rate.”

“You’re boring, you know that? I was hoping you’d get all worked up.”

“I’m not fourteen anymore. I’m also _working,_ so go fuck a varterral or something.” He muttered, glaring at her. She laughed, then looked up when she spotted a movement from the corner of her eye. Speaking of the visitor… He was nonchalantly approaching the halla pen, alone. She waved, but his –imperceptibly widened – eyes were fixed on Terren and he didn’t seem to notice her.

Glancing at Terren, she noticed that he was watching the stranger too, and was visibly struggling to maintain a relatively neutral expression. He couldn’t quite completely contain his delighted grin, however, and it dawned on Kitai that the stranger was, in fact, the young man that had made such a strong impression on her brother four years ago.

 _Of course. Time to go then._ She silently jumped down the fence and slipped away, leaving them alone.

***

When Kitai had come to tell him they had a Lavellan guest, Terren had vaguely toyed with the idea that it could be Danevhen, but had dismissed the thought as a passing fancy. As it turned out, he had been right. From the corner of his eye, he saw his sister slide down the fence and disappear without a word. Ghilan’nain bless her and her insight. If he was to make a fool of himself, he certainly didn’t want witnesses.

It had been four years since that brief encounter in the forest, and Terren had long since grown out of his boyish infatuation with Danevhen. Although, while seeing him now didn’t spark the same wild desire he had felt back then, he still found himself looking appreciatively at the man coming towards him, his tall and athletic form, his relaxed, but alert gait… The way he moved made it impossible for Terren to look away.

“Aneth ara, lethallin.” He greeted, and he was pleased to hear his voice come out firm. With his luck, he had half expected to sound like a sick mouse.

Danevhen’s eyebrows shot up in what seemed like surprise, and he returned Terren’s greeting.

“I remember you, you're the boy who likes to watch! Still having to fend off girls at every turn?” He asked, glancing in the direction Kitai had disappeared. He then gave him a once over and added with a dazzling smile. “You’ve grown.”

Looking down, then up again to meet Danevhen’s gaze, Terren shot back with a smirk. “Not yet, but I’m sure that can be arranged.” Had he been too bold? He had been too bold, hadn’t he?

Danevhen let out a surprised laugh.

“I’m sure it can.”  That smile… Terren had forgotten the effect that smile had had on him. His heart skipped a beat, and he had a feeling this would happen a lot with Danevhen around.

 _So I guess I_ am _fourteen again._

Danevhen came closer and nonchalantly leaned on the barrier where Kitai had been sitting mere moments ago. He was standing so close and looking at him so intently that if he kept at it, there was no telling how much longer Terren would be able to refrain himself from just pinning him against the fence. In an attempt to stay civilized, he turned his back to him and went back to caring for the sick halla. He could still feel Danevhen’s eyes on his neck and it was distracting, to say the least, but he did his best to ignore it.

When Danevhen had made no move to leave or try to get his attention for a few long moments, Terren finally faced him again.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked expectantly.

Danevhen gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I’m trying to remember your name, but all that comes to mind is _the boy who liked to watch._ Sorry.”

Terren flinched. That was definitely a little vexing, but he couldn’t really blame him. They had barely exchanged more than a few words after all. It had been important for Terren, meeting someone like him for the first time, but he couldn’t resent Danevhen for having other, more interesting things on his mind than a smitten fourteen year old boy he had only met briefly. He gave him a shrug and a half-smile.

“It’s accurate enough.” Cocking his head, he added, his expression turning into an impish grin. “And I still do.”

“I noticed. But I’m still not calling you _that._ ”

“What? Boy? Good to know.”

Danevhen laughed again, his bright violet eyes sparkling with delight. Or maybe Terren was just projecting and Danevhen’s gaze was not really lingering on his lips either. “Precisely. So?”

“Terren. But I meant it. Is there anything you need?”

Danevhen stared at him pensively for a second, a mischievous smile curving his lips; he looked like he was about to quip, but he stopped himself, suddenly serious.

“Actually… There might be. You don’t happen to know much about Lord Dunmore, do you?”

Perplexed, Terren  thought for a moment, then shook his head, facing away from Danevhen again to go back to the halla. “You’ll want my sister. She’s the smart and knowledgeable one.”

“Does that make you the pretty one, then?” Danevhen asked. Terren could hear the teasing note in his voice, sending pleasant shivers down his spine. He shrugged nonchalantly, but his heart began beating faster again and he was fairly certain his ears had flushed beet red.

“Obviously. Why did you ask?”

“You have your back to me most of the time, I can’t really tell.”

 _I should have seen that one coming…_ Chuckling, Terren turned a little to the side and glanced at Danevhen from the corner of his eye.

“Better?”

“Much.” There was laughter in the man’s eyes.

“Who likes to watch now?” Terren teased. “But what I meant is, why did you ask about Lord Dunmore?”

“Work.”

Terren fully faced him now and studied him for a few seconds. He was not adept at reading people, but there were only so many reasons for a Dalish to ask about a human noble. After a moment, he nodded. “You’ll definitely need Kitai. I think she’s back in camp.” he said, then proceeded to mentally kick himself. _Wait. Did I just send him away? How stupid am I?_

Danevhen smiled, and as he pushed himself away from the fence, his body brushed against Terren’s. Terren’s breath caught in his throat and he shivered again, but didn’t move away.

“Ma serannas. I’ll see you later, if I’m lucky.” Danevhen said with a suggestive wink.

And just like that, without giving Terren time to answer  –or react at all, really– he turned away and went back to the center of the camp. Terren watched him go, a bit dazed, and when he judged that the man was out of earshot, he turned to the halla.

“I think that went well, don’t you?”

She snorted derisively, the rude beast.


	3. The Tusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitai meets Danevhen.

**_Back at camp_ **

Kitai had just settled down on a flat rock to clean and repair some of her and Daranil’s armor pieces when a shadow fell upon her. Lifting her head, she squinted to make out the features of the man standing in the way of the sun. It was Danevhen, the Clan’s visitor.

_Well, that was quick. I wonder if that’s a good or a bad sign._

“Twins?”  He said with a wry smile when they locked eyes. “I’m sensing a pattern there.”

She blinked. That second part, mumbled, had clearly not been meant for her. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

“That obvious, uh?” she replied dryly, studying him. Now that he was close, she wasn’t going to deny herself the pleasure. And she was mighty curious.

She had to admit, she liked what she saw, and not only because he was handsome. He looked… Nice. Genuine, even though there was something a bit guarded about him. He did not look sad or angry, so Kitai figured his encounter with Terren must have gone well enough. Good.

“I’ll go out on a limb there and assume you’re Kitai…?” he said, his tone that of a question.

“I am. And I assume you’ve had your fill of formality, so… Hello, Danevhen.”

He seemed to relax ever so slightly. “Mind if I sit down?”

She gestured and he sat, studying her. “Your brother tells me you’re smart and knowledgeable.”

“How very kind of him. What does he want?” she replied without missing a beat, not looking at him as she began working on her armor.

Danevhen chuckled.

“I’m the one who needs help, actually. Or, rather, information.”

“Hm. Flatter me some more and I might agree to help you.”

Surprisingly, he obliged, and looked down at her breasts with a silly grin.

“That’s an impressive tusk you have there.” He began, referring to the hunting trophy she wore as a necklace. “Did you hunt the beast yourself?”

“My bond-mate did, but I’ll make sure to pass the compliment along.” She deadpanned, then added in a much more pragmatic tone. “That will do. What do you need, lethallin?”

His expression screaming _I’m going to say something incredibly funny now, so pay attention_ , Danevhen settled himself more comfortably.

“I… Don’t remember. The radiance of your smile eclipsed any unrelated thoughts in my mind and now I can only stare in awe.”

She blinked once, snorted, then laughed in earnest. Despite herself, she felt her cheeks grow warm. Creators, but he was smooth... Ridiculously over the top, certainly, but a girl liked to be given compliments once in a while.

“… May I ask a favor of you?” she said, cocking her head.

“Anything for the most resplendent woman in uh… That part of the camp.”

Kitai closed her eyes for a second, lips pinched, trying –and failing – not to laugh again.

“Would you go talk to my mate and give him some pointers on how to woo a lady? He certainly could use the advice.”

“I heard that.” Daranil called as he passed by, carrying a stack of firewood.

“That was the point!” she shot back, then focused once again on an amused-looking Danevhen.

“Have you been bonded for long?” he asked after a pause.

She thought for a second, then grinned. “Officially? A little less than three years.”

“And unofficially?” Danevhen asked on cue, eyebrows raised.

“About forever.” She replied with a shrug, but she knew her wide, goofy smile betrayed her apparent nonchalance. She couldn’t help it; she felt oddly relaxed in his presence, and more herself than she usually was in front of strangers. That worried her, so she decided to change the subject instead of returning the question.

“So. How can I help? Keeper Shalelan told me to offer you any and all aid you’d need. Apparently he knew you would come to me eventually.” She leaned in closer and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. “Is yours as scary?”

"Absolutely, but not half as scary as her First.” He said with an exaggerated shudder. Kitai tucked the information in a corner of her mind. At some point, she would have to ask him about it. “Shalelan told me some of you scouted the area around Lord Dunmore estate, and apparently everybody agrees you’re the person to talk to.”

“What do you need to know? Layout? Patrol schedules?” Straightening again, she gave him a small smile. “Times at which windows are open?”

He paused for the span of heartbeat, then nodded. “Things like that, yes.”

“I could just tell you, but it would be simpler if I went with you, I think. And you’ll need someone to watch your back.”

“And you’d just love to do that, wouldn’t you?” he quipped.

“Wrong twin.” she shot back, laughing again, and after the briefest of stunned pauses, he winked.

A moment moment passed in comfortable silence, then Kitai asked: “How long will you be staying with us?”

“A few days. A week at most. I need to bring an answer from Shalelan to Deshanna, but I don’t know when it will be ready.”

On an impulse, she leaned in closer to him again.

“There’s a cave nearby where I regularly meet with some friends to… Entertain ourselves without the older people frowning down on us. We’re going tonight; care to join us? I’m sure everybody is dying to meet you and hear a few stories that haven’t yet been rehashed a thousand times.”

“If we do that after coming back from Dunmore’s estate instead, I might be able to provide drinks.” Danevhen said, eyebrows raised.

“Oooh… I like the way you think, but why limit ourselves? We can do both.”

“Sounds good to me.” he replied easily.

“Great. Now all I have to do is find friends. And drinks. And a cave.”

“I can’t imagine that a woman as charming as yourself has any trouble finding friends.”

“Obviously, I don’t.” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Then, feeling a little bit flustered, she changed the subject again. “Now let’s get to work, shall we?”

They spent the next two hours discussing and planning a break-in into Lord Dunmore’s estate. Kitai was in her element there, and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Danevhen was a delightful companion, quick and cunning as a fox, and he caught on her ideas faster than most people did. His own were not half-bad either. That was refreshing change from having to explain everything twice to pretty much everyone on a regular basis.

Once done, they agreed to go scouting the next day to make sure nothing had changed regarding her intel. If they could, they would take care of the actual break-in that same night, Danevhen doing what he had come to do, Kitai staying out of the way and covering him.

 

After he had left to attend to his own things, Kitai went looking for Daranil and found him cutting thin slices of boar meat to prepare them for smoking.

“Our guest is impressed by the size of your tusk, ma’nehn. Is there something you want to tell me?” she teased while settling down beside him to start working on her armor again.

“Hm. Why was our guest looking at my wife’s chest?” Daranil countered. He briefly interrupted his work to plant a gentle kiss in her hair. She leaned into him and caught his lips with hers instead.

“You’ll have to ask him. Maybe tonight, during our gathering?”

“We have a gathering tonight?”

“We do now.” She shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

“I take it you like him?” Daranil said, going back to his task.

“Yeah…”

“But?”

Kitai squirmed a little as she began to work again. “He scares me.”

Daranil frowned. “Why? He doesn’t look that scary.”

“Because…” she chewed on her lip for a short moment, then shrugged and looked away. “Because he doesn’t. That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

“I know you, vhenan. It makes sense to me.” Daranil said simply.

Kitai smiled. Who needed compliments when you had man who reminded you every day why you loved him?


	4. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A giant squid flops it tentacles.

Danevhen had spent the remainder of the afternoon meeting and talking to several people as directed by his Keeper, but before the last rays of sunlight had disappeared behind the trees, he, Kitai and her bond-mate Daranil— a calm, serious man who didn’t talk much— made their way to the cave where the evening’s entertainment would take place. Even from a distance, he could make out the warm, flickering firelight and sounds of conversation and laughter, and he quickened his step, eager to indulge in some well-earned revelry.

About ten people were already there, almost all young adults, though he spotted one girl who didn’t have her vallaslin yet. As he glanced around, Danevhen’s gaze fell almost immediately on Terren, currently in an animated conversation with a grim-faced blonde woman he hadn’t met. He was taken aback at the spark of pure desire that lanced through him at the sight of the man, and it did nothing to help matters when Terren noticed him in turn and offered that crooked, welcoming smile of his.

“Everyone, this is Danevhen.” Kitai said.

There was a chorus of greetings as all eyes converged on him. He smiled brightly at everyone and settled down next to a handsome dark-haired man he had met earlier. He remembered him being a friendly sort and sure enough, Mihren offered him a welcoming nod and passed him the wineskin he had been drinking from. Danevhen took it gratefully and downed a swig of the sweet-tasting liquor.

“Danevhen. Are you bonded?” asked the wide-eyed, bare-faced girl sitting next to Mihren, completely out of nowhere. He wondered why she was here, as she looked a bit young to join in this sort of festivities. Sighing inwardly at her question, which he’d heard about a hundred times too often in the past few years, he nevertheless gave her a smile as a few snorts erupted around the fire. If this was how the evening was going to go, he would be grateful for the alcohol.

“No, I’m not.” _And I’m not going to, regardless of what my family thinks._ His gaze involuntarily flicked across the pit to Terren, whom he noticed was watching him intently, and Danevhen idly wondered if he’d had to run away from that girl at some point. She seemed enthusiastic, to say the least.

The girl in question settled back and gave a satisfied nod, cheeks flushed. Conversations started again and Danevhen took a longer swig from his wineskin before passing it to Kitai, who had claimed the free spot to his left. She gave him a sympathetic smile and spoke in a low voice.

“Unless you’re interested, keep your distance with Isera. She’s aggressive.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” he said dryly.

“That’s why I’m telling you,” she replied with a grin, then she took a sip of liquor, passing it back to him when she was done. Danevhen was still a little amazed at how instantly and naturally they had taken to each other. Talking to her, sharing wine with her— it felt natural, like it did with his own family members. He returned her smile, then drank some more.

“Anything else I should know?” he asked quietly.

“Lyna is my cousin, and she’s a drunk,” Kitai said in a normal tone, pointing to the blonde woman sitting next to Terren.

“I’m not,” Lyna protested, nursing her own personal wineskin.

“You’re drunk _now,_ ” Kitai countered, then continued. “I think you’ve met Terren.”

“Briefly.” Terren said, with a tiny nod and that lopsided smile that sent a little jolt to Danevhen’s loins. He suddenly regretted his choice to wear rather fitted pants: if the man planned to keep smiling at him like that, he was going to have a big problem before the evening was over and they would do little to hide it.

Danevhen cleared his throat and Kitai continued on to the next person, seemingly oblivious to his tiny spike of tension.

“I believe you’ve met Ellana as well. Whatever you do, _do not_ dance with her. She’ll smash you on the ground or drop you in the river. Or both. Especially if she’s drunk.”

“I um…Can’t really argue with that.” The dark-skinned woman made a face, but then she smiled warmly at him. She had a deep, pleasant voice and the greenest eyes Danevhen had ever seen. “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay, lethallin.”

Kitai continued her round of presentations, including a tidbit of information about everyone. He wasn’t certain he would remember _everything_ , but he appreciated her intent and filed away as much as he could. When she was done, a red-haired young man named Roshan—“He’s a bit of an ass, but he’ll grow on you.”—called to him. For some reason, his smile came off as a bit too wide. Maybe he was particularly proud of the whiteness of his teeth.

“Danevhen. Before you arrived, we were talking about the most dangerous thing we killed. What was yours?”

“A giant squid.” He answered immediately with a straight face. A ridiculous story was certain to entertain, and he wasn’t about to share the painful truth with a room full of strangers. Next to him, Kitai burst out laughing. He winked at her.

“I… What?” Roshan said.

“Let me see. About three years ago, we were camping near the Amaranthine Ocean. It was summer and the day was hot like you wouldn’t believe, so three of us decided to go for a swim. Out of nowhere we saw this enormous, unnatural wave coming towards us, like there was something right under the surface, and a giant tentacle came out of the water.” He undulated an arm above his head in illustration. To his chagrin, no one laughed, but he heard Kitai bite back a snort of amusement from beside him.

Now most of the others were looking uncertainly at him, as if they were unsure whether they should believe him or not. He settled himself more comfortably, feeling a wide smile spread on his face and thought about what to say next.

“What did you do?” Mihren’s sister… Isera? asked with an enraptured smile.

“The only thing we could do. We got our asses out of the water as fast as we could, but the thing was determined to get us, so it followed. It _jumped_ out of the water, the size of three aravels. Tentacles flailing, trying to catch us...”

He paused for a second, struggling to keep a straight face, then continued.

“But squids aren't made to live on land, you see, so when it got on the beach, it was slow and clumsy and we could fight it. It was an epic battle, let me tell you. The squid against the three of us, naked and unarmed, with our clothes and weapons on the other side of the beach. Completely out of reach. I finally managed to jump on its… head, I’m assuming, and stab it right in the eye with a pointy rock.” He finished with a flourish, demonstrating with a rock that he’d managed to find on the ground behind him while he was telling the story.

A few people cheered, Kitai the first among them. She launched herself at him and hugged him tight, kissing him on the cheek. That was sudden, but not unwelcome, and he hugged her back, unable to contain his laughter any longer.

“We need more of you,” she mumbled a bit drunkenly.

“I don’t think the world is ready for more of me,” he replied.

“My brother is,” Kitai giggled, startling him. “But I think you’re right. I mean, the bad jokes alone would probably make the Veil implode, or something.”

She pressed her forehead against his temple and tightened her arms around him a bit.

“And just like that, another husband: forgotten,” Daranil commented sharply. Danevhen glanced at him uncertainly, but the man looked more amused than angry.

Kitai let go off him to elbow her mate in the ribs. “Oh, _one_ of you is more than enough! No, wait…Now I’m insulting him, and not on purpose.”

“That’s a first,” Daranil replied dryly, gathering her in his arms.

“So that’s… How many flopping tentacles?” someone else commented once he finally released Kitai. Danevhen thought it was Ellana, but couldn’t be certain with the fire standing between them and Roshan speaking over her.

“You’re _so_ brave!” he spat angrily. Danevhen blinked in surprise. He had absolutely no idea what he had done to upset the man. “I’ll have you know that _I_ killed a dragon once.”

“You did?” he replied, not wanting to start a fight and not quite sure what he’d done to offend the man. Couldn’t be the red hair, given the man’s own fiery locks. “That must be some story. Care to share?”

Roshan frowned, as if trying to find an insult in there somewhere. Finding none, he nodded and launched himself into a disorganized tale about how a dragon had once attacked him as he was bathing alone. Sure, why not? Danevhen didn’t have the monopoly of stories that totally, absolutely, swear-on-my-ancestors’-graves happened.

Once he was done, conversations started again and various groups formed. A few people came and talked to him, curious about him or his clan. He welcomed them all, and had a particularly nice long chat with Ellana before she got up to join a couple of people dancing to the sound of Mihren’s drums and Lyna’s flute. As Kitai had warned, she was indeed terrible, and at one point she almost trampled Isera, but her enthusiasm made for an entertaining show.

As evening turned into night and a pleasant buzz had settled in his head, he found himself looking in Terren’s direction more often than not. And more often than not, Terren looked back, always with a smile at the ready. The boy certainly was charming… Except he wasn’t a boy anymore, was he?

When he had recognized him, Danevhen had fully expected him to act like the bumbling teenager he vaguely remembered, but Terren was anything but. Playful and self-assured, he had immediately seized the reins of the conversation and taken it in a direction Danevhen was not used to, flirting aggressively and doing nothing to hide his interest. Not that he minded. The experience had been interesting, even titillating. Kind of unsettling, too. Terren was not the type of man Danevhen was usually interested in, elven and young, and so undeniably Dalish. He had not expected to feel such a strong attraction to him.

Still, he was curious to see where this game of theirs would take them.

As he looked again, Terren smiled at him once more and extracted himself from the group he had been speaking with to come and take Kitai’s place, that she had vacated to curl up into Daranil’s lap.

“Enjoying yourself?” Terren asked as he sat down.

“I am now.” Danevhen replied with a smile.

Terren rolled his eyes, but blushed visibly, and Danevhen smiled to himself. As Terren shifted positions, his shoulder brushed Danevhen’s and stayed there, the contact warm and pleasant, and Danevhen didn’t move away either, although he was suddenly unable to concentrate on the rest of the room.

“Do you do that often?” Terren asked after a moment of simply looking at him.

“What? Charm everyone? Enjoy myself?”

“Travel between clans. Though I imagine being as charming as you are must make ways to enjoy yourself easy to come by,” he replied smoothly with that fucking crooked grin again.

“How about we—” Danevhen began.

“Hey, Terren! Tell us that story about the bear family, will you?” Lyna called drunkenly from the other side of the fire. Danevhen couldn’t think of a reason the woman ought to have done that on purpose, but he was damn sure she had. He saw Terren close his eyes for a second, then give a slightly tense smile.

Shifting positions again, he moved a little away from him, with an expression that could be either relief or frustration. Or both. The absence of contact left a cold spot on his shoulder.

“Sure!” Terren answered, then leaned close to Danevhen again. His lips brushed his ear, sending shivers down his spine as he whispered. “Hold that thought.”

He began straightening again, but paused when Danevhen suggestively murmured, “I have several right now.”

Terren made a tiny sound that could have been a laugh. Or a strangled moan.

“Hold them all.”  

Then, as if nothing had happened, he did straighten and began. “I assume you all remember Vincent? This happened last year, when we were camping all the way to the edge of the Tirashan. I was out with Vincent at the time and there had just been an earthquake, not unlike…”

In the silence that followed his abrupt pause, Terren’s face turned white as a sheet. So white, in fact, that even his palest scar looked an angry red. “The one we had… Three days ago.” He finished slowly, an edge of panic in his voice as he looked around, visibly frightened. “Has anyone scouted the back of the cave since the earthquake?”

A few people exchanged looks, shaking their heads.

“Ryath and I did. It’s fine, no cracks.” Mihren answered as Isera snorted derisively.

“What are you afraid of? Darkspawn?” she taunted, her voice dripping a bitter venom that shocked Danevhen. Where had that come from? “Poor Terren is scared the big bad shrieks will come and take him in his sleep?”

_Oh. Shit. The scars._

A shocked silence followed her words and Danevhen could have sworn the temperature in the cave had dropped by several degrees. Terren, whom he’d been watching closely, fell completely still, and behind him Kitai sat bolt upright, teeth bared, but before she could speak Terren inhaled and turned to Isera, who looked away.

“Look at me,” he demanded. Though his voice was calm, Danevhen could see the tension in his shoulders and jaw, his face drained of blood. He was anything but calm.

The girl reluctantly complied, though she quickly averted her eyes again.

“Look closely, da’len. I’m _the lucky one_ . Of course I’m scared.” His voice quivered slightly, in the end, but whether it was in fury or pain, Danevhen couldn’t tell. Probably both. Terren suddenly got up and left without looking back, and Danevhen watched him go, feeling concerned and surprisingly protective. _How young_ had he been when that happened?

_Far too young. But he obviously remembers it, so maybe not young enough._

As soon as Terren was done speaking, Kitai rounded on the girl, grabbed her by the jaw and squeezed. Hard.

“Len’alas lath’din,” she snarled, her face barely a breath away from Isera’s. “You will never speak to my brother like that again or you’ll have to pray Elgar’nan _for mercy_ when I’m done with you. Is that clear?”

Jaw clenched, nostrils flaring, she looked around her as if trying to find someone, and as her gaze fell on Danevhen, she gave the tiniest of nods towards the cavern entrance. Intuiting her intent, he didn’t stay to see what would happen next, and instead got up and followed Terren outside. Someone had to make sure he was alright.


	5. Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are quiet.

_How dare she?_

How dare Isera make light of the attack that had left Terren with so many physical and emotional scars? That had killed several members of the clan, including his father?

As he reached the edge of the river that ran near the cavern he had just left, the blood roaring in his ears would have prevented him from hearing the footsteps behind him if the person approaching had not been trying to make as much noise as possible.

“Not now, Itha,” he said brusquely.

“Good thing I’m not Itha then,” Danevhen replied, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the gurgle of the river.

That was not the voice he had expected to hear, but he had to admit it was the one voice he didn’t mind hearing right now. Terren knew anyone else would give him pity and sympathy and worried looks. Danevhen, on the other hand—there was a slim chance that Danevhen might not treat him like a fragile, traumatized boy, which would be nice for a change. Terren was sick of people being scared of breaking him just by looking at him.

Between the darkness and the fury blurring his vision, he could barely make out the man’s features when he turned around to face him, but Danevhen didn’t look particularly scared of anything. Concerned, yes, but Terren could see no pity in his expression.

“I was expecting my sister.”

“She’s busy terrifying Isera right now. And me a little bit as well. She’s fierce _._ ” Danevhen studied him for a moment, then asked casually, “Are you alright?”

“Fantastic,” he snapped, and immediately regretted it. Even though he was still too furious to apologize right now, he forced himself to exhale slowly. Danevhen was not responsible for his turmoil, and he didn’t deserve to take the brunt of his anger.

Danevhen didn’t comment, he simply walked to the edge of the water and sat on a rock, and after a short moment of deliberation, Terren joined him.

“A bit angry, maybe.” he finally amended, blood still pumping.

“No shit. Why would she do that?”

Not the reaction he had been dreading.

“Isera? I guess she doesn’t take rejection well.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Danevhen said, eyebrows shooting up.

Terren inhaled deeply, and before he could stop himself, words just poured out of him. “She’s been trying to fuck me for months and it’s becoming severely disturbing. It doesn’t work, obviously, so she tried to hurt me in the worst way possible by making fun of something horrible and she has _no fucking idea what she’s talking about!”_

Shit. He hadn’t meant to shout. Feeling a bit deflated after his outburst, he fell silent and ran a trembling hand through his hair. During the silence that ensued, he felt Danevhen’s intent gaze on him without needing to look, and he just kept on staring down at the water.

“…Sorry,” he finally said. “We barely know each other, I shouldn’t have unloaded it all on you.”

 _Great choice of words there,_ he thought, cringing inwardly _._ He really wasn’t in the mood for that kind of banter right now, but Danevhen surprised him again by not answering with a wisecrack.

“I’m the one who came to find you,” he said seriously, though glancing at him, Terren did see the shadow of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah. Thanks for that, by the way,” Terren said with a tentative, apologetic smile.

He was grateful for Danevhen’s presence, because he wasn’t sure he would have said the things he just had to someone of his own clan save for Kitai, and even that was far from certain. For all her insight, there were some things she just couldn’t grasp, and it felt good to finally let it out to someone not involved. Some of his anger deserted him.

After another pause—and in an attempt to keep his mind from painful memories and Isera’s terrible words—Terren asked quietly.

“You never told me, in the end. Do you travel often to different clans?”

“Every time the Keeper needs to contact them. She sends me to humans settlements sometimes, too.”

“That sounds—” _Exciting._ “—dangerous.” He paused, shook his head, and finally admitted it out loud. “Who am I kidding? I wish I could get out sometimes too.”

“Why don’t you?”

_Good question. One I’ve asked myself before._

“Duty? I guess I feel my place is here. But we were talking about you.” He turned to face Danevhen and offered him a small smile. “You must have a lot of stories to share from your travels. Ones that don’t involve giant squids.”

Danevhen chuckled. “Hey! It was a good story.”

“It was,” Terren admitted easily. He had enjoyed it, and not only because it had given him an excuse to stare at Danevhen’s expressive face; it really had been a good story. “But I want a true one now.”

“Greedy,” Danevhen teased, then pondered for a moment. “Okay. I’ve always enjoyed going out alone in the woods, even before I became a hunter.” Terren tensed, but Danevhen continued without noticing. “One time, I was about fourteen, I heard voices not far from where I was hiding. Strangers’ voices. I went to make sure they weren’t shemlen who would stumble upon our camp and make things dangerous for us.” He paused, seemingly waiting for something.

Terren obliged.

“And?” he asked, relaxing as the story steered him away from thoughts of darkspawn. “Did you take on a battalion of Templars all by yourself, naked and unarmed while a dragon breathed fire on you?”

“Ah. So you already know the story.”

Terren chuckled, feeling the fire of his fury die down just a little bit more. Danevhen continued.

“They were humans alright, but only two, and only teenagers.  A boy and a girl about my age. Twins, actually. They were only gathering herbs, but I was afraid they’d find our camp, so I thought I’d drive them away. I came out of the bushes with my bow at the ready and tried to intimidate them. It didn’t work as planned.”

He paused again, a slight smile on his lips. Terren waited. Then waited some more.

“What happened?” he prompted after a moment.

“Elliot was scared. Emmaline, not so much. She was so strange, that shemlen bossing me around as if I hadn’t been threatening her with an arrow. Somehow I ended up showing them a better spot for plants and I helped them pilfer the place. We became friends. I still see them once in a while.”

A comfortable silence settled between them for a short moment before Terren commented.

“Alright. I have two questions.”

“Hm?”

“What is it with fourteen year old boys meeting people in the forest, and more importantly, what is it with you and twins?”

Danevhen chuckled. “No idea. But I have to befriend twins. I’m too much for only one person.”

“That remains to be seen,” Terren shot back, glancing at Danevhen whose expression seemed at once pleasantly surprised and deeply amused.

It seemed Terren was in the mood for a little bit of banter after all.

 

After that they simply sat together, quietly trading stories, surreptitiously studying each other or watching the slow movement of the river down below. At one point, Danevhen returned to the cave and came back with a wineskin, and they swapped more stories, sharing drinks. As they talked, Terren’s knee came to rest against Danevhen’s leg. Neither of them moved away.

The strand of tension between them had not disappeared, but it had been subdued for now, and the air around them had taken on that peaceful quality that came with late-night conversations, completely soothing away Terren’s fear and anger.

***

The stars had travelled a long way across the sky when they finally returned. They walked through the camp, everything silent and still around them, and stopped near the place Danevhen had claimed for the night a little ways away from everyone. Before going their separate ways, they awkwardly faced each other for a second, Terren’s gaze drawn to Danevhen’s mouth.

 _I could kiss him right now..._ he thought, but something held him back. Sex would certainly be nice, but the companionship that had begun to form between them was what Terren truly craved, and that could be shattered far too easily if he was not careful. Instead, he closed the distance between them and wrapped an arm around Danevhen’s waist for a light, brief hug. After a fleeting moment, Danevhen returned it and Terren whispered against his ear.

“Good night.”

When he pulled back, Danevhen was watching him intently, a curious smile curving his lips.  

“’Night.”

With that, Terren turned away and made his way back home.

***

Later, as he lay in his furs, Terren furiously berated himself. What was wrong with him?!

He _had_ friends, he didn’t need more friends. What he needed was to be with someone he actually wanted before the time came for him to bond with a woman and fulfill his duty to his clan.

Tomorrow, Danevhen would be gone with Kitai for at least a day, and there was no telling how long he would stay with them after that. Terren might just have lost his only chance with the man— perhaps even his last chance at being with any man.

He briefly toyed with the idea of getting back out and joining Danevhen in his hammock, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The dulling effects of alcohol had begun to wear off and the idea of going outside at night filled him with dread now, the memory of what had happened having been brought to the forefront of his thoughts by Isera. He almost did it anyway. He managed to get back up and even went to the door, but he just couldn’t muster the courage to step outside.

Returning to his bed, Terren sighed and braced himself for a bitter, lonely night plagued by nightmares.


	6. Field Trip - Weasel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An owl is offended.

“You keep her away from Terren or Mythal help me I will kill her,” Kitai snarled the next morning as she shouldered her travel bundle.

Why in Mythal’s name had Mihren thought it would be a good idea to bring his little lamprey of a sister to their gathering? The girl was after every young man in the clan, and Terren had only been the last to catch her fancy. She had tried with Daranil too, and when it hadn’t worked, she had turned nasty. Now she was doing the same to her brother and Kitai had been this close to seriously harm her last night. It had taken Mihren and Daranil to talk her down and convince her to let the girl go, but the thought of those insolent blue eyes throwing daggers at her made her blood boil again.

Daranil watched her, arms crossed, and slightly shook his head.

“He's a grown man, you know. He can defend himself.”

She groaned and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. The sun had barely begun to rise and she wouldn't have minded a little more sleep, but what could you do?

“Not against that, he can’t! I know she’s desperate to be loved and I pity her, but she went too far this time and if she so much as looks at him funny, I—”

“Vhenan, she's a child. Besides, Terren is fine. Have you seen him this morning? He looked plenty fine to me,” Daranil interrupted, gently taking her by the arms and firmly planting his gaze in hers.

_He tried to go back outside, and then didn’t. That’s not fine._

But Daranil was right. Whatever had happened between Terren and Danevhen last night had left her brother in a good mood this morning, and he hadn’t seemed to have any nightmares either. At least, he hadn’t come to wake her up—she would have expected him to, after what had happened with Isera.

“Fine,” she mumbled, feeling a tiny smile peeking through her frown. “I should go. Danevhen is waiting for me. We should be back tomorrow night at worst. If not, come find me,” she concluded with a wink.

He nodded seriously, then took her chin between his fingers and gently pulled her down for a kiss. “Always. Be careful, alright?”

She smiled.

“When am I not careful?”

“Oh I can think of a few times,” he replied with a fond smile, nodding her away.

***

 

“Itha?”

Kitai glanced at Danevhen. They had been traveling along the road for a little longer than an hour and had barely exchanged more than a few words. He had tried to talk to her, but she had been too sleepy and grumpy up until now to reply with anything but grunts and nods. She knew for a fact he had gone to bed after her; how could he be so cheerful?

_Come to think of it, I really don't want to know..._

“Yes, Lahalaan?” she replied much more pleasantly than before. The nickname had come naturally to her—she couldn’t help but think of Danevhen as fox-like.

Danevhen stopped short and narrowed his eyes at her, head cocked, then he smiled and looked up.

“It's the hair, isn't it?”

“There's no hiding anything from you, is there?” Kitai teased, before adding more seriously. “It's not just that, though. You're quicker than most people I know. It suits you.”

He seemed surprised by that. Not something he was used to hearing, then?

“Did you just call me _shem_?” he asked after a pause.

She grinned.

“So, why Itha?” Danevhen asked again after a moment.

“Terren’s idea of a joke. He had trouble saying my name as a child, and called me Itai. Then Itha, because I'm—” she hesitated. Bringing up her unusual dispositions always made her feel strangely vulnerable, and she hated it—but she had rarely, if ever, liked someone so quickly and so completely than she liked Danevhen, and she realized she really wanted to trust him. “Observant,” she finished.

“And so you've come up with animal associations for everyone.”

She had not expected the conversation to go in that direction and felt herself relax.

“Not everyone, but a few people, yes.”

They walked a bit more.

“Well? Don't leave me hanging!” Danevhen pressed after a few minutes.

“Patience is a valuable trait in a hunter, you know,” she teased. “Alright. Terren, dog.”

“Your brother is a dog,” Danevhen said flatly.

“Keep insulting him and see what happens,” she retorted with a snort, glancing in his direction.

“Someone gets to drink with him?”

_If that’s all you did, my brother is really the worst idiot in Thedas._

“It suits him though,” she said instead. “He's joyful and loyal. Because he's nice, people often think he's tame, but the wolf is still in him.”

“Who—”

“Don't. Even. Think it.”

He laughed. “Fine. What about yourself?”

She hesitated. She had thought about it, of course, but what she had come up with wasn't particularly flattering— but before she could decide if she should answer or not, Danevhen spoke again.

“No, wait. Let me guess. Badger!”

Snorting, Kitai shook her head. While the implications were lovely coming from him, he was way off the mark.

“That's Daranil. But thank you,” she replied.

He smiled at that, visibly pleased with himself. He had put some thought behind his guess, then. The surge of unadulterated affection she felt just then took her completely by surprise and she looked away, walking a little bit faster.

“Not badger. What then?” he asked, quickening his pace to keep up with her. It appeared she still would have to answer.

“Weasel,” she mumbled with a sigh.

“You do smell like one,” he shot back immediately.

“Okay, that's it. I'm done,” she said, picking up a stick and throwing it at him. She missed, and Danevhen watched it fly harmlessly over his shoulder.

“I'm not fetching that,” he declared solemnly.

Kitai groaned, and at the thought of being stuck with him all day, she felt a huge grin spread over her face.

***

 

A light meal and several hours of friendly banter later, Kitai and Danevhen, hidden in the top branches of a tall tree just at the edge of the forest, surveyed Lord Dunmore's estate. They hadn't spoken for a while now, as they had needed to sneak their way closer to the mansion.

The estate had been built a ways away from the road, the path to it partially hidden by the trees. The manor itself was protected by a tall stone wall circling the grounds, hiding most of it from their view. From what Kitai could see, the edifice was not as intricately decorated as others, much more beautiful, that she had seen in Orlais. Though far less delicate with its sturdy columns and large, heavy stone bricks, it still clearly belonged to a man with too much gold and not enough things to spend it on.

They studied the place, judging the traffic on the road and timing the guard patrols that passed inside the front gate.

“Something's wrong,” Kitai hissed.

“Too many guards?” Danevhen answered just as quietly. When Kitai nodded, he added, “So the guy is not just paranoid?”

She snorted.

“Oh, he is. But these are the Teyrn’s colors,” she replied, squinting at the pair of guards that was just barely visible from her perch.

“You're right,” Danevhen agreed, squinting as well.

“Alright. Let's circle the place,” Kitai prompted as a small spark of excitement rose in her chest. Working with Danevhen like that almost felt like a game. Sure, there was danger, but the man seemed to grasp her intent almost as fast as he could articulate it, if not faster. It made things easy, and that was new to her. Turning to him, she grinned.

He grinned back, then started moving.

Staying hidden behind the treeline, they slowly made their way around the manor and found that all around it, trees had been cut to broaden the open-ground surface around the estate. They watched for a while, and soon spotted a patrol _outside_ of the estate. This would make things harder. Finally, Danevhen motioned for her to follow, and they went back deeper into the trees.

“What do you think?” she asked when they were far enough away.

“Could be one of two things,” Danevhen replied. “Either Lord Dunmore asked for the Teyrn’s protection, for some reason, or…” He shrugged.

“Or the Teyrn is here,” she finished, frowning.

“Either way, we'll need to get closer. See if it's something we can wait out or if we have to work around it. Tonight?”

Kitai nodded. “You should try and grab a nap in the meantime.”

“I’m fine,” he replied casually.

_As if I were blind._

“Terren came back late last night,” Kitai insisted. “Weren’t you with him the whole time?”

“Do you always keep track of where he is?”

“No.” _Not always, anyway._ “But I'm a light sleeper. He woke me when he came back.”

And she had been angry and worried and had had trouble sleeping anyway, but that was irrelevant.

“It was pretty late,” Danevhen conceded.

“Go sleep then. I need you alert tonight. I'll keep watch.”

“Thanks,” Danevhen smiled, set his hammock up in the branches, and went to sleep.

***

 

At nightfall, they snuck up to the left side of the estate wall. In that particular spot, the tree branches they could see rising above it would help them hide once they reached the top, and they would also make coming down on the other side easier. Silently, Danevhen gave Kitai a leg up and she swiftly climbed the rest of the distance, peeking above the wall to check for guards. She spotted a pair, just about to disappear around the corner of the mansion. As soon as they were gone, she heaved herself up and leaned down to help Danevhen in turn. They quickly disappeared between the tree branches, with plenty of time to spare to avoid the risk of being seen by another two guards coming from the opposite corner.

Surveying the place, she saw light pouring out from an open window on the second floor. Inside the room, she could make out the top of tall shelves filled with books. _Late-night reader._ She tucked the information away in her mind, then glanced at Danevhen. Timing the next break in the guards patrol, she mouthed, “You right, me left?”

“Meet you back here in an hour?” Danevhen replied.

_Why can’t things be that easy with other people?_ She nodded, and as soon as they could, they both climbed down the tree, each going in opposite directions.

***

 

Kitai silently made her way around the perfectly tended garden, falling still in the shadows every time guards passed. Security was tight, but not tight enough to prevent a Dalish hunter from doing as she pleased, and she had time enough between patrols to move from hiding place to hiding place without fear of being discovered. She didn’t dawdle, though.

She finally found a nice, quiet spot between a wall and one of these stilted bushes shemlen called topiaries at the front side of the manor, near the right corner. It gave her a great view of her surroundings while allowing her to stay hidden. She started when she heard voices behind her—or, rather, behind the wall.

“M’lord Wilson, we can’t—” a woman said, sounding breathless. “My mistress...Oh!”

_Oh for the love of Mythal... Do I really have to listen to shemlen going at it?_

“You just told me your mistress is not going to show up. I’m not blind, I saw her spend the whole day making eyes at my useless brother,” a man growled in response.

There was a rustle of clothing, and the sound of flesh softly hitting flesh. The woman moaned.

“There must be a reason she sent you in her place, isn’t there?” the man said in a low voice.

After that, all Kitai could hear was a concert of grunts and moans that she did her best to ignore, trying instead to listen to what the guards passing near her were saying—to no avail. That Lord person and the servant were obscenely loud—or maybe she was simply standing too close—and the guards didn’t talk much, save for some inane chatter that she could barely make out. Well. At least if she didn’t learn anything useful, she would have a story that was guaranteed to make Danevhen laugh.

_Yes, Lahalaan. I spent half an hour listening to a couple of shemlen having sex. Can you beat that?_

Since the couple behind her was unlikely to pay any attention to their surroundings, Kitai decided it would be safe enough to move away from them, and she made her way through the shadows to find a better hiding place where she would be able to spy on the guards.

She found a comfortable space in the shadow of a tree, behind another topiary abomination, and waited. The guards who passed her had nothing interesting to say, so she decided to nudge them a little bit.

Spotting an owl waiting for her prey as patiently as Kitai did in a nearby tree, she picked up a small rock and waited for the perfect moment—just before the next pair of guards turned around the corner— to throw it at the owl. The rock made a soft _thunk_ sound as it hit the branch the raptor was perched on, and the guards jumped and turned in the direction the sound had come from.

The indignant owl silently took flight, and the guards relaxed.

“Just a bird. Of course it's just a bird.”

Good thing these shemlen didn't know much about owls, or they would have known the noise couldn't possibly have come from her.

They continued their patrol, walking closer to Kitai.

“If you ask me, no one is gonna bother stealing an old rusty sword anyway. Dunno why the Teyrn insisted the Lord doubles the guard.”

The other guard spat on the ground.

“From what I’ve heard, the old fart is paranoid. To think I could be in bed with my lovely wife right now.”

An old rusty sword? Interesting. Kitai wondered what other pieces could be lying in wait inside the mansion. She'd be curious to take a look.

“At least it's only for a week,” the older guard said, clearly trying to sound reassuring, his voice fading as the pair walked further away from her.

_Why thank you!_ They hadn't even needed much prompting. Kitai made a mental note to send a basket of halla cheese to the helpful guards.

She slowly moved the rest of her way to finish her exploration of the grounds, but didn't learn anything more and finally made her way back to the tree she had come from. When she arrived, the hours was up, but Danevhen was nowhere in sight.

Staying still and hidden amidst the branches, she resolved to wait, more worried than she'd care to admit.


	7. Field Trip - Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bear stands watch.

Still crouching among the tree branches, Danevhen followed Kitai with his eyes as she slipped to the ground and set off towards the left, as silent and stealthy as an owl hunting at night. It was a shame that she wasn’t a member of his own clan, he mused, nimbly descending into the grounds proper as soon as she was out of sight. As much as he enjoyed his independence, there was something to be said for occasionally teaming up with someone that you could trust to have your back. And he  _ did _ trust her, he realized, perhaps far more than he should after such a brief acquaintance, but there was no denying their instant rapport. Maybe it was because she reminded him in some ways of his friend Emmaline. Elf Emmaline. Elfaline.

Danevhen took a moment to reorient himself to the grounds from this new vantage point before setting off widdershins around the mansion, keeping to the shadow cast by the wall. The mansion was largely dark at this time of night, but as he rounded the corner, he could see light slipping out from under a door adjacent to what appeared to be a herb garden. No need to investigate that any further; his nose told him that the door led to the kitchens and that the servants were busy baking the next day’s bread. His stomach rumbled its appreciation of the inviting scent and for a moment he envisioned the scene that would ensue if he walked brazenly in and asked for a fresh loaf. Who knew? He had met more than one servant during his travels who was so enraptured with the Dalish that they would willingly hand over any number of their master’s secrets or possessions, but it wasn’t worth the risk tonight.

He moved on, skirting through a topiary garden—did shemlen really find those unnatural things attractive?—and froze when voices reached him, straining his ears to determine from which direction they came. Although he was a good distance from the nearest wall of the mansion, that seemed to be the source, the light breeze carrying the sound to his ears. He strained to make out individual words, but all he could determine from here was that it was a man and a woman speaking, likely from the open window on the second floor.

Examining the facade of the house, Danevhen decided that it would be easy enough to get closer to the window so that he could hear; he could scale the trellis a bit further along the wall, pull himself onto the ledge running below the bank of windows, and make his way to the open one on his belly so that he would be out of sight of anyone in the house. The only problem was that in doing so, he would be entirely exposed to anyone watching from the grounds, including the circulating guards. If he timed it carefully, however, perhaps he could obtain some valuable information.

Settling comfortably behind a topiary of—sweet Mythal, was this thing supposed to be a dragon? It looked more like a stunted wyvern—Danevhen waited until the guards passed by again, then began counting slowly. He should have tracked their time after their first pass, before he and Kitai parted ways, but too late for that now. By the time the same two guards passed by a second time, he’d made it almost to eight hundred. It was plenty of time, and it seemed his luck was holding this evening, because voices were still filtering down from the window. With a deep breath, he darted through the area where he could be seen from someone inside the mansion. Nothing stirred, and he sighed with relief as he mounted the trellis. Within moments, he was lying on his belly directly outside the open window.

“—with it anyhow,” the woman’s voice was saying. Her voice had the cultured sound he’d come to associate with shemlen nobility.

“That’s beside the point,” said a man, an edge of irritation in his voice. Bondmates, most likely, though Danevhen, or “husband and wife” to use the human vernacular. A pair speaking so familiarly might also be old friends or siblings, but that seemed less likely given the hour. The lord and lady of the house, perhaps?

“That’s precisely the point, Lester,” said the woman.  _ Lester Dunmore, age 49, head of House Dunmore and lord of much of the surrounding countryside, famously reclusive, _ Danevhen recited to himself. Perfect. “Do you really think that the Teryn is going to take the time to investigate the sword’s magical properties?” 

A magical sword? That was interesting.

The man sighed. “If it even has any, Agatha.”

“I ought to know. And if it truly belonged to Archon Lovias—”

“We need the Teryn’s favor far more than we need some rusty old sword. Think what it can do for us to have gifted him the new crown jewel of his collection.”

“Where it can sit gathering dust—”

Danevhen had heard enough, and by his count, he had only about four minutes before the guards passed by again. Suddenly, there was a sound close above him, and he started violently. Straining his neck to glimpse the window, he could see a figure—he wasn’t sure if it was Lady Agatha or Lord Lester—standing there looking out at the grounds. He himself was still hidden from sight unless they happened to look directly down, but if he tried to cross the open expanse of manicured lawn to the safety of the wall now, he would surely be spotted.

Heart pounding, he wiggled forward on his belly, praying to Andruil that one of the other four windows facing this ledge was unlatched and led to an empty room. The first one he reached was locked tight, but the second, he could already see, was hanging open a few inches. He might just be in luck.

Cautiously raising himself up a few inches, he peeked through the wavy glass. The room was tiny, containing little more than a pot that appeared to be connected to the floor and a basin attached to the wall across from it. Danevhen had no idea what the room might be used for, as nothing else was stored inside, but the important thing was that it was empty. Slowly so as not to make a sound, he began easing the window open far enough to allow himself passage inside.

Without warning, the door between the tiny room and the hallway flew open, and a handsome young man appeared, his face lit by the candle he was carrying. Danevhen knew that he should duck back out of sight, but it was unlikely that the human would spot him in the inky darkness outside. Moreover, he was captivated by the sight of the man’s other hand, which was fumbling at the lacing of his pants. Placing the candle on a little shelf that appeared to be designed for the purpose, the human turned to face the pot on the floor and proceeded to, of all things,  _ urinate _ into it as if relieving oneself indoors was the most natural thing in the world. Danevhen couldn’t turn his eyes away as the man tucked himself back in, re-fastened the lacings of his breeches, and pulled a chain hanging from the box above the pot. There was a deafening rushing sound, but the man didn’t even flinch, instead simply swinging the door shut with his foot as he walked out.

There was no time to wonder what sort of shemlen madness would possess someone to create an entire room devoted to urination; the guards would be passing by at any second, so, wrenching the window open the rest of the way, Danevhen vaulted himself inside. With nothing but the moonlight to see by, he took a moment to examine the little room while the guards were outside. The pot on the floor was filled with liquid, and for a moment he assumed that it had simply collected the deposits that the man and others had made there. Sniffing delicately, however, he decided that this must not be the case, as the room smelled fresh.

For a moment Danevhen considered pulling the chain attached to the box again to see if he could determine the source and the purpose of the strange rushing sound, but surely he would attract the human’s attention if he did so. Instead, with a wicked grin, he loosened his own pants and relieved himself right there in the shemlen mansion.

When he was done, he glanced outside the window.  _ Fenedhis! _ The guards, instead of continuing on their patrol as he had expected them too, had apparently decided to rest their legs and were sitting side-by-side on a little bench in the topiary garden. As Danevhen watched, one of them looked directly up at him, and he hurried pulled away from the window just as the other one furrowed his brow thoughtfully and rose from the bench to walk towards the house. Time to go, then, and since there was no way he could go back out the way he came in, the only option was to go through the house. He’d been hoping to avoid doing so until he and Kitai had a better idea of layout of the place and the household’s rhythms, but now there was little choice.

Slipping through the door, he took a moment to get his bearings. He was standing in a long corridor that glowed with the light of wall sconces arranged at intervals of about ten feet. Those were more a curse than a blessing; he could see where he was going, but it also meant that he could easily be seen by anyone who happened to appear. The hallway was richly decorated with a rug running down the center and life-sized portraits hanging in gilded frames on the walls. He shuddered; the subjects of some of the paintings were uncannily realistic, and it felt as if all of them had their eyes fixed directly on him. To his right lay the room that he knew was occupied by Lord and Lady Dunmore, so he decided to take a left and hope that an escape route presented itself.

Around the corner, he encountered an open door and froze, pressing himself against the wall. When no sound came from inside the room, he cautiously craned his neck to see inside. It was the library that they had spotted from outside the building, and the human man was inside, bent over a table and apparently absorbed in his reading. Fortunately, the human’s back was to the door, and, holding his breath, Danevhen slipped past without incident.

The hallways were deserted, but it was doing him little good as there was no exit in sight, just closed door after closed door. He didn’t dare open one; there was no predicting which might have sleeping humans behind them. Finally he made out an open space at the end of the corridor that he suspected might lead to a staircase, and he set his sights upon it, moving as quickly as he could without making any sound. 

Without warning, the dense silence of the sleeping mansion was broken by a titter of laughter from directly in front of him, although Danevhen couldn’t yet see the source. Hesitating for only a moment, he backed into a small alcove to his right where a realistic statue of a bear was located, his heart pounding as he obscured himself as much as he could. Hiding here was safer than risking one of the closed rooms, but still far from ideal. If someone passed directly in front of him he was likely to be spotted, and he reached to draw a dagger out of his boot just in case he had need of defending himself. Straining his ears, he could make out two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway towards him.

There was another tinkle of laughter, and Danevhen heard a young woman say in a playful tone, “Stop that! Do you want to get me fired?”

“You worry too much, kitten,” a man’s voice answered. “Who’s going to see us at this time of night?”

“Your Lord Maxwell is still awake,” the woman replied. Had that been the man in the library, the one who urinated indoors like an untrained dog?

“And doubtless closed up in his library, as always. That’s what happens when your bed always sits empty.”

Once again, the woman’s laughter echoed down the hall. “It shan’t be tonight, if  my mistress has her way.”

“You’re joking,” said the man. “I thought Lady Rohesia was supposed to meet with Young Lord Wilson.”

“She was, but I don’t blame her for preferring his brother!” exclaimed the woman, and Danevhen heard the snick of a door latch, their voices growing faint as they stepped into one of the rooms. Cautiously, he poked his head out of the alcove just enough to note which door was standing open, then abruptly pulled it back when the young man and woman, both in servant’s clothing, emerged almost immediately.

“Maybe he doesn’t have many opportunities to take women to his bed while he’s here,” the Lady Rohesia’s servant was saying as their footsteps receded down the hall. “How often do they entertain?”

“He certainly does make enough excuses to go into town.”

“And what do you think he does there, mmm?”

Their voices faded, and after several moments of comforting silence Danevhen stepped out from behind the bear statue, brushing it with his fingertips as he did so. He did a double-take; he’d expected some manner of artifice, but the thing’s fur felt identical to the warm bear pelt that he slept under in the winter. Curious, he stared up at the beast which towered above him, its mouth eternally open in a roar. One massive paw hung at the level of his head, and he took it delicately between his fingers, examining it minutely. It was perfectly realized, down to the wear of its nails and the callous surfaces of the pads beneath him, and he stepped back with a gasp. This was no statue, but a real bear, somehow made immobile. Was it magic, or was the thing dead and preserved somehow? The latter seemed more likely; as jumpy as shemlen were about all manner of the arcane, it was doubtful that they would keep an artifact like this in their home.

As he studied the creature, he wondered about its purpose. Perhaps it was a totem of some sort, to ward off future attacks? It was feasible, especially given how isolated the area was; he had Kitai had seen two distinct sets of bear tracks just this morning. Then again, maybe it was some sort of morbid shrine to honor a loved one who had been killed in this very beast’s jaws. Regardless, it seemed nonsensical to allow such a beautiful fur to go to waste when it could be used for something practical like warm clothing or bedding. The next time he saw Elliot and Emmaline, he would have to ask them about that as well as the matter of indoor urination, since he was sure that none of the shemlen he knew personally had such absurd habits.

With a shake of the head, Danevhen threw off his reverie. Every moment that he spent in here increased his chances of being caught. At least now he knew his next destination; the stairway that the servants had taken probably led to a service hall, which was dangerous territory indeed, but the chamber that they had entered, the fourth one down on the left from where he was standing, was doubtless empty since its occupant was in the library. Sending up a silent prayer that he had the right room, he slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him before he took the time to look around.

It was a sleeping chamber, and a luxurious one, the bed hung with rich tapestries and a fire burning in the fireplace. Books and all manner of miscellanea—scrolls, navigation tools, a telescope, even what appeared to be a qunari skull—were scattered about the room, and for a brief moment Danevhen was tempted to search it, wondering if his tablet might be here. He rejected the notion almost as soon as it crossed his mind. Knowing that the man was just down the hall and without Kitai to serve as lookout, there was a significant chance that he could be caught. Still, at least they had one more place to search when they came back. 

As he crossed to the window to see if there was a way to descend safely to the ground, however, something caught his eye. It wasn’t the prize he sought, but rather a bottle of wine, sitting on a table near the fireplace with a folded card propped against it. It seemed so out of place among the room’s sundry collection that he suspected that this had been what the servants were delivering. His curiosity getting the better of him, he picked up the card and angled it towards the light of the fire, squinting to try to make sense of the looped handwriting.

“Dear Maxwell,” he read to himself, “As I sit here in my dressing gown, I find that I cannot stop thinking of the way your body—”

There was a sound in the corridor. Stuffing the note in his pocket and grabbing the bottle of wine, Danevhen flew to the window, barely glancing at the grounds below before flinging it open and scrambling out onto a section of roof. Not bothering to close the window behind him, he retreated hastily from the house, eager to rendezvous with Kitai and tell her all that he had learned.

He found his new friend waiting in the agreed-upon spot, her lithe body relaxed as she sat in the branches of a tree overhanging the wall but her eyes alert. A wave of relief washing over him at the sight of her, he trotted to the base of the tree and easily swung himself up to her side. With a nod, she immediately dropped down on the other side of the wall, effortlessly navigating through the dense woods until they were far enough away to speak safely.

“Learn anything interesting?” Danevhen asked.

“Yeah. We were right—the Teryn is here and planning to stay for a week. Apparently he brought his whole retinue with him, and the Dunmores’ staff is less than pleased about the intrusion. What about you? Get anything?”

“Dunmore invited him here so he can give him some sword that used to belong to an Archon or something. Thinks it’ll win him some political favor, but the lady of the house isn’t pleased.”

Kitai whistled softly. “You know that for sure?”

“I heard them talking about it. Lady Dunmore seems awfully interested in old artifacts. She might have our tablet, and if not, I’d be willing to bet that their son does based on what I saw lying about in his room.”

At this, Kitai turned to him, both of her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline. “You were in his  _ room?” _

“Long story,” Danevhen chuckled. “Did you know that shemlen urinate indoors?”

Kitai let out a bark of laughter, the sound startling several small creatures and sending them scurrying. “They do not! They may be beasts, but they’re not animals,” she said, elbowing him in the ribs.

“It’s true! I’ll show you where they do it when we go back.”

She rolled her eyes. “And I won’t believe a thing you say until then. It’s your tablet; what’s the plan?”

He kept walking as he thought. “The sword is interesting, but that’s not what we’re after. We should wait until the Teryn is gone and there are fewer people around.”

“Back to camp, then?”

“You must be tired,” he replied, eyeing her with concern.

“I am, but I'd rather put some distance between us and the estate first.”

“Makes sense.”

They walked in silence for a while, until they found a spot where they could safely settle for the rest of the night. Danevhen began setting up his hammock in a tree and Kitai watched him for a few seconds, then asked, “Lahalaan. Are you interested only in men?”

Danevhen froze in place, then let out an exasperated sigh. So much for finding a friend. “Are you trying to seduce me?” he asked, purposely keeping his tone light.

“Creators no!” she exclaimed vehemently, eyes widening. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

“You're trying to repel me?” he quipped, relaxing. “Yeah, I am. Why?”

“I'm cold.” Kitai mumbled.

“And you want to cuddle?” She nodded, and grinning, Danevhen flung himself into the hammock, holding out a hand for her. With a flop, she landed on top of him—the first thing Danevhen had seen her do with less than perfect grace—setting the hammock swinging.

“Better?” he asked, arranging himself at her side and pulling his cloak over them both.

After squirming for a moment, she seemed to find a comfortable position, because she settled her head against his shoulder with a sigh. “You’re kind of boney.”

“Speak for yourself,” he laughed.

She shifted again and lifted her head to give him a suspicious glare. “Something’s poking me.  _ Please  _ tell me that you’ve got something in your pocket, Lahalaan.”

“Oh shit, I forgot!” he exclaimed, maneuvering a hand between them to pull out the bottle of wine. “A gift for your clan. We can toast to new friendships.”

She took it from him, examining the label in the moonlight. “Open it tonight, or save it until tomorrow?”

He considered. It was tempting, but right now he wanted sleep even more than he wanted the wine. “Tomorrow,” he decided. “I’ve got something even better for tonight.”

“Oh?”

Twisting to access his other pocket, he extracted the note that had accompanied the wine and unfolded it. In the light of the full moon, he could just barely make out the words well enough to read it out loud in his sultriest voice.

“Dear Maxwell, As I sit here in my dressing gown, I find that I cannot stop thinking of the way your body moved under your clothing this afternoon while we were riding. Even the mere memory is making my own body respond in ways to which I am not accustomed, and I am desperate for your touch....” he began, and the forest echoed with their laughter until they both fell into an exhausted sleep.


	8. That one halla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A halla gets impatient.

The next day, Terren was studying a map of the region in the company of Halla Keeper Enavuna and Fenara, her second apprentice, when he heard Kitai call out to him. Looking up, he saw her standing next to the Keeper; she couldn’t come to him just yet, but as he met her gaze, she grinned and waved happily. That meant she was either in a really good mood or things had gone terribly wrong and she was about to murder someone. You never knew, with Kitai. He waved back, then looked to Danevhen, who was standing beside her and talking to the Keeper. He looked relaxed too, and Terren had a feeling he wasn’t as good a liar as Kitai. Things must have gone well enough then.

Looking at Danevhen, Terren was sorely tempted to just ditch everything and drag the man someplace where they could finally be alone. He hadn't missed him, not exactly, but he was glad to see him back nonetheless. He really should have kissed him the other day. Maybe the occasion wouldn't present itself again and he had missed his only chance. The thought brought a tiny, bitter pang in his chest, until Danevhen met his gaze and smiled. _That_ sent a jolt to his loins, and Terren smiled back, relaxing. There would be other opportunities. He was sure one or both of them would take steps to make that happen. He hoped.

“Terren.”

He started, feeling his cheeks grow warm as he turned to his mentor. “Yes, hahren?”

“Please go see to the halla. I think I just saw the young one come back with her tongue out again.”

“Ma nuvenin, hahren.”

“Can I go with him?” Fenara asked, face full of hope. She enjoyed the study of navigation far more than Terren, but right now she looked bored out of her mind, and Terren couldn’t blame her. They'd been at it for most of the day, and when he was her age, spending time with the halla had always been much more appealing than wearing his eyes on old moldy maps. It still was.

“You may not. You still need to complete your task,” Enavuna said sternly, but not unkindly.

Fenara grumbled and made a face, but smiled brightly when Terren ruffled her short red hair. “If I’m still there when you’re done, I’ll help you convince a halla to let you ride her,” he promised, though if he had his way, he wouldn’t stay there long.

“You’re the best!” she chirped, hugging him, then immediately went back to her task with renewed enthusiasm.

Enavuna shook her head with a sigh, but she could grumble all she wanted about _the wild young people_ , Terren could clearly see her trying to hide a smile. As he got up, he met Danevhen’s eyes again, hoping that his slight beckoning nod wouldn’t go unnoticed. Danevhen’s smile grew wider and he turned away, saying something that made Kitai laugh and the Keeper frown.

Making his way to the halla pen, Terren wondered if Enavuna had felt his restlessness and had just given him an excuse to move a bit before he went crazy, of it had just been pure luck that she had sent him away right now.

At this time of day, the pen’s gate stood open and most of the halla were out, wandering around and they would come back by themselves in the evening, to stay safe from the forest's predators. He did find the young one Enavuna had mentioned waiting there, however, tongue out and coughing miserably. He sighed.

“When will you learn, da'len?” He slowly approached the creature to pet her neck and get a feel for what ailed her, then turned away to rummage in a crate next to the gate and begin treating her.

 

After only ten minutes she was already starting to show signs of improvements under his care, and a short while later Terren heard footsteps approaching, distinctly not sounding like Fenara’s usual happy and loud skipping. “Did you know that right where you're standing, no one can see you from the camp?” Danevhen said behind him.

Terren's heart skipped a beat and he stood up, turning to face him. “I wonder if there's something I could do with this information,” he said, taking a step towards the man. Danevhen settled himself against the fence, watching him, waiting maybe, and Terren felt his pulse quicken. “How did it go?” he asked before he could stop himself. _Stop talking! Just do something!_

“Suspiciously smoothly. And your sister happens to be a great cuddler.”

Terren blinked. “What?”

“You weren't there,” Danevhen said with a deliberately seductive smile that sent a shiver down Terren’s spine.

Terren came closer and took him by the waist, pulling him closer.  “I am now,”  he murmured against his lips, smiling as he leaned in to kiss him.

That kiss, with Danevhen moaning softly under his mouth and grabbing at his hips with what felt almost like relief, would have been the most arousing Terren had ever experienced if it had lasted more than a second, but _of course_ right at this moment he heard more footsteps. As he jumped back, he heard Danevhen curse under his breath.

“Danevhen, I've been looking for you!” Not Fenara’s voice, sadly. He would have taken anyone else rather than Isera, who seemed to materialize out of thin air beside them. “I wanted to show you something,” she continued, batting her eyelashes at their guest. She tried way too hard to be seductive, and to Terren she only came off as desperate and pathetic.

“You're not wanted here,” he said. “Go away.”

“I wasn't talking to _you_ ,” she snapped, then became all smiles again when she turned back to Danevhen. “Well?”

“I can't right now,” he said, much more gently than Terren. “We're busy talking about important things.”

“What kind of things?” she asked eagerly. Terren's fists clenched a bit tighter.

“None of your business. And anyway, the last face I want to see today, or any day, is yours. Go. Away.”

She shot him a dark look and opened her mouth as if to answer, but glancing at Danevhen, she reconsidered. It seemed to finally get through her thick skull that she wasn't welcome and she left, glaring at him. Unfortunately, she took the moment with her and Terren cursed softly, avoiding Danevhen's gaze.

“Fenedhis. I've tried being nice but it just doesn't work. That's the only way she understands.”

“I noticed,” Danevhen replied, and Terren could feel his eyes on him. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” he sighed. Thrown off-balance by Isera’s interruption, he wasn’t certain how to behave with Danevhen now. Finally, he simply asked, “Keep me company for a while?”

“Absolutely.”

Terren leaned sideways against the fence next to him, silent for a few moments—just long enough to calm his breathing and his heartbeat a little. The sick halla stayed near, watching him with big, soft eyes. “So. What was that about cuddling with my sister?”

“She asked,” Danevhen replied easily, and Terren's eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was not like Kitai at all.

“She did?”

Danevhen shrugged. “We get along well. Although she said I was boney.”

Terren glanced down and felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lips. “Well, you are, but I really don’t want to know what prompted _her_ to say that.” Danevhen snorted. Still, for Kitai to show this level of affection to someone she had just met… “She actually likes you.”

“I'm feeling vaguely insulted by your astonishment.”

“No, I mean... ” He paused, uncertain how to put it. “You’re likeable enough,” he said with a wry smile. “But _she_ is not exactly the liking kind.”

“Must be my boundless charm."

“Must be,” Terren agreed. His anger had receded, and he wondered if maybe they could pick up where they had left off. Meeting Danevhen’s expectant gaze, he decided that indeed they could, and pushed himself away from the fence, intending to take full advantage of the fact that no one could see them, but he was not prepared for the vigorous push the halla gave him from behind. He stumbled, barely managing to extend his arms towards the fence before he crashed into Danevhen, who had moved to catch him. Terren met his eyes and smiled. “Someone’s getting impatient.”

“She’s not the only one,” Danevhen said. They stood so close that Terren could feel the heat emanating from his body and his pulse quicken under the hand resting at the base of Danevhen’s throat, where he had caught himself. As he pushed him firmly against the fence, pinning him there, Danevhen’s eyes widened in surprise—but the arm he wrapped around Terren’s waist, the fingers tangling in his hair and pulling him closer, made it clear he yearned for more.

Terren felt a rush of heat course through his body as he grabbed Danevhen’s wrist, and pulled his hand away from his neck, pinning it against the fence. The scent, the warmth of Danevhen’s body made him forget that there was even a world around them as he kissed him again.

 ***

 Mythal’s mercy, Danevhen had started to think that he and Terren were _never_ going to be able to steal a kiss, but it had been worth the wait.

By the time Terren broke away, Danevhen’s lips were tingling, feeling almost bruised. For whatever reason, he’d not expected the man to be _quite_ so assertive, although as he well knew, youth wasn’t exactly a predictor of passivity any more than being a member of the elven race was. Not that he was complaining; he was almost painfully aroused, and clearly Terren was as well. That raised the question—so to speak—why had he pulled away? Was he already regretting this, or was he simply ready to move somewhere more private?

Terren smiled at him uncertainly, looking a bit embarrassed and not much like a man who was about to drag him into the trees and have his way with him, which was really a shame.

“Having second thoughts?” Danevhen asked, trying to keep his tone light despite his frustration.

Terren’s laugh sounded strangled.

“ No!” he exclaimed. That was a relief. After all of the sexual tension between them these past few days, he was justifiably concerned that his balls might turn blue if he didn’t get laid sooner rather than later. Not only that, but if he hadn’t been absolutely turned on by this irreverent tease of a man before, he certainly was after Terren had made it clear that he intended to be top dog.

“Good—” Danevhen began, but Terren continued speaking at the same moment.

“It’s just… We’re out in the open here, and I’m expecting someone. Maybe. Probably, if previous interruptions are anything to go by.”

More interruptions. Of course.

“Maybe your clan ought to consider changing its name. Clan Cock-blocker. I think it has a nice ring, don’t you?

Terren chuckled. “Seems accurate. It’s a wonder we manage to reproduce.”

“Why don’t we go somewhere else?” Danevhen suggested, gently moving Terren back half a step so he could slip around him. “Just what kind of someone are you expecting?” he added as an afterthought as they began walking. Beside him, Terren fell into step, laying a hand on the small of his back. It was just enough contact to drive him slightly mad.

“I don’t think you’ve met Fenara. She’s—”

“Terren! I’m done!” called a cheerful girl’s voice. Fenara, presumably. Although she wasn’t in sight yet, she sounded lively, and he deflated as his hopes for an afternoon of adult recreation receded.

Looking every bit as vexed as he felt, Terren let his hand drop and stepped away with a grimace.

Maybe Samahla had put a curse on him before he left his own clan a few weeks prior. _You shall not get laid until you make offerings to each of the creators and do penance for your transgressions._ That sounded like her, all right.

“—she’s here,” Terren finished. “Also, a great kid,” he added as a gangly girl of about twelve or thirteen with a mop of bright orange hair flung herself at Terren, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Blushing, Terren took her by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. The reason for that was apparent, and Danevhen chuckled, sympathetic to his plight.

“C’mon, you promised!” she wheedled, ignoring Danevhen entirely. Or rather, it appeared that she simply hadn’t noticed him, because a moment later she turned to him and beamed as she disengaged from Terren’s hold. “Oh, hello! I’m Fenara. You’re Danevhen, right? _Aneth ara._ Are you here to ride the halla too?”

Sweet Mythal, she hadn’t even taken a breath throughout that whole production. Still, she was a cute little thing, with her bright smile and guileless green eyes. He was certain that he’d be utterly charmed if not for the fact that she was the only thing standing between him and seeing Terren naked at this particular moment.

“I am. _Aneth ara_ , Fenara,” he said before answering her question. “No, I’m here to see Terren. Not to ride anything.” He placed the slightest emphasis on the word _ride,_ not daring to look at Terren out of the corner of his eye lest he burst out laughing.

Terren coughed, but Fenara didn’t seem to notice. “Oh,” she said, blinking. Then her gaze went back to Terren and she suddenly froze in place, her eyes getting wide and her skin darkening with a blush. So much for innocence.

“... _Oh_ . Were you boys _kissing_?” she blurted, looking aghast and covering her mouth with both hands.

She was clever, he could say that much for her, he thought, bemused. Pity that she was apparently apprenticed to the halla keeper; with observational skills like that, she’d make a decent spy.

“How… I mean, what?” Terren asked. His face was cherry-red, which was actually rather fetching on him, although Danevhen doubted that he would appreciate him saying so at this particular moment. His own interest in men had been an open secret among his clan since Arlathvhen four years ago, but he had the distinct impression that the same wasn’t true for Terren.

Fenara lowered her hands and stared at them slack jawed for the space of a heartbeat before bursting once again into motion, uncoiling like a spring.

“Well your lips are all red and you’re in the exact spot where no one can see, where I came with…” She cleared her throat and looked away, taking a few steps away from them both. “I mean… I wouldn’t know that. Hm. Nevermind!”

Terren laughed, and Danevhen allowed himself to chuckle, relieved that his friend—that seemed to be the closest term for what they were—didn’t seem particularly worried.

“Tell you what. I won’t say anything if you don’t,” Terren offered, crossing his arms. If he was anything other than calm, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

“But you don’t _have_ anything to say!” she countered with a grin that looked somewhat forced. “Unlike me. Now if you were to keep a promise you made less than an hour ago…” she prompted, batting her eyelashes at him.

Danevhen’s happy little fantasy of getting Terren’s clothes off in the next few minutes crumbled into nothingness, and Terren shot him an apologetic look. “I did promise,” he affirmed with a nod. Then, raising an eyebrow at Danevhen, he added, “Sure you don’t want to ride anything?”

“Riding halla isn’t my thing,” he said.

Fenara cocked her head at him, looking baffled. “What else would you ride?”

“I prefer my mounts big, like horses,” he said. Two could play at that game, and he was gratified to see Terren’s color rise even as the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile.

Terren got the last laugh, though, because as Danevhen brushed past, he stopped him with a hand pressed onto his stomach. Leaning in, he whispered in a maddeningly low voice, “I’ll find you later.”

Willing himself not to get hard again at the mere thought, Danevhen met his eyes with a loaded look as he paused, then breezed past.

“You’d better.”

 ***

Terren watched Danevhen go, fascinated by the way he moved. He ached to follow him and find some quiet place where no one would disturb them, but he _had_ made a promise to Fenara, and he needed to talk to her. Besides, she seemed unsettled, looking down and shuffling her feet nervously, with her hands behind her back. _Later,_ he told himself.

“Terren, can I talk to you?”

“Always. Is something wrong?” he asked, puzzled. She was growing increasingly nervous.

“Not really?” She went back to the pen and lifted herself from the ground to sit on the fence, swinging her bare feet. “It’s about… Boys, I guess?”

He nodded, following her. “Alright da’len, I’m listening.”

“How does it feel, kissing a boy?” she asked shyly.

Terren frowned in confusion. “You don’t know? Didn’t you just say you came here to—” She stilled and looked away, chewing on her lower lip. “Oh,” he said. “Well… It feels good. It makes me want to touch him more.” He paused, then added, cocking his head. “Like when you kissed a girl?”

She nodded, still chewing, still not looking. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and Terren heaved himself up to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“She didn’t like it, but I did and I thought—”

“There is _nothing_ wrong with you, Fenara,” he said quietly, but with conviction, ruffling her hair.

“How do you know? Maybe there’s something wrong with both of us,” she mumbled, sniffing and wiping her eyes impatiently.

How many times had he asked himself the same question? But Fenara was a bright child, joyful and carefree, and worthy of love. She _wasn’t_ an anomaly. And that meant Terren wasn't either, he suddenly realized. “I’m older. I know better,” he said lightly, but Fenara shot him a flat look. Oh well. It had been worth a try, and a year ago it would have worked— Creators, but she was growing up fast. “It’s just who we are,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He wished someone had told him that when he had started having strange thoughts about boys.

Fenara thought for a moment, then dried her eyes once again. She had already stopped crying. Good. “I don’t know… How did you know there were others like you?” she finally asked, looking up at him.

Terren suddenly saw himself back there at the edge of the forest, the first time he had seen Danevhen, asking almost that exact same question, and felt laughter bubble in his chest—but for her sake, he stifled it. “I met Danevhen. Or, rather, stumbled upon him while he was with another man four years ago, during Arlathvhen.”

Fenara looked up at him sharply, her mouth drawing a perfect, surprised “o”.

“You boys have been in love this whole time?!” she exclaimed, looking amazed.

This time, he did laugh. “Elgar’nan’s balls, no! We only talked for a few minutes and then I never saw him again until he came here.” He hesitated, then added. “He did make an impression on me though, because he was the first man like me I’d ever met, and because he’s…” _So. Fucking. Attractive._ “Anyway. I fancied him for a time, but it faded over the next few weeks.”

“Are you in love with him now?”

Terren’s cheeks grew warm again. “No. I barely know him. I like him a lot though.”

“Oh. You said he was the first… There were others?” she asked in a voice so hopeful it broke Terren’s heart.

“One that I know for sure,” he said. _Maybe one other_. It had been a while since he had last thought about Seron, and he wondered, as he did sometimes, if that friendship that had developed between them during that summer all those years ago had been just that, or if it had been the premises of something else. While Terren felt he should be honest with Fenara, as it was clearly an important moment for her, there was no need to get into too much detail. She didn’t need to know right now how difficult it would be for her to meet someone. And to stay with them.

“How do you know for sure?” she asked.

“Well… I had first-hand experience.”

She blushed. “...Oh. Only one?”

“Yeah. Lasted a while though. Don’t worry, there _are_ girls like you.” _You just might never meet them._

Fenara fell silent for a while, snuggling against him. Then, softly, she asked, “So… I could be with a girl, you think?”

_No. Or at least, not for long._

_Be honest_ , Terren reminded himself. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell her that she would be lonely and sometimes feel like she didn’t belong. That maybe —if she was really lucky— she would meet a girl outside of the clan and could be with her for a while, but then one of them would have to go and she’d be lonely again. That she would have to share her life with a man she knew she could never love. He just couldn’t bring himself to tell her that.

“Yeah. You can,” he said instead.

_I’ll make sure you can._


End file.
